With all the big box stores, furniture outlets, and chain restaurants that line Federal Highway, we wouldn't be surprised if you saw Kitchenetta from the outside and mistook it for just another high-end home improvement store. If so, we feel sorry for you.

On your average off-season Sunday evening during a Florida summer, most restaurants are languishing in the heat and begging for customers. Kitchenetta's austere, modern interior, however, is packed beyond belief. Families and couples squeeze in to gorge themselves on massive plates of homestyle Italian fare. Most of the dishes are available in two sizes --solo and famiglia. Both are humongous.

Each item on Kitchenetta's menu is supposed to have that Italian-grandmother-made-it-from scratch appeal, from chicken milanese to steamed mussels postiano style. On Sundays, a macaroni and Sunday sauce special includes slow-cooked pork ribs, sweet sausage, and meatballs for $26 a solo/ $51 for famiglia.

While there may be ample options to chose from, our go to is the $22/ $41 Gnocchi Gorgonzola. In South Florida, it's a struggle to find decently cooked gnocchi at best. The delicate potato dumplings are oftentimes boiled into lumpy little piles of mush, more commonly resembling mashed potato balls than pasta.

That is most certainly not the case at Kitchenetta. The tender little morsels are left al dente and are covered with the most delectable sweet cream sauce. It may be rich, but it is hard to walk away from this gigantic dish. As with any good home-cooked Italian meal, you will most likely want to wear a belt with extra buckles.